But he had no idea who held the pen that would decide his fate.

To him, and to my sister Caroline, I was just a low-level logistical clerk.

They thought I spent my days filing travel vouchers in some dusty basement.

If Nathan knew I was the commander of Gray Wing, he would have looked at me very differently tonight.

I leaned back in my chair, the leather creaking in the quiet room.

The digital clock on the wall blinked 10:42 PM.

I opened my laptop to access the personnel system’s secure portal.

I entered my authorization key.

The screen displayed Nathan’s full evaluation history.

His physical readiness scores were exceptional.

His leadership reviews from his previous commanding officers were stellar.

Yet, his file had been flagged for “administrative hold.”

I clicked on the sub-folder explaining the hold.

It was a request for intervention from a civilian liaison office.

My eyes narrowed as I read the name of the civilian sponsor who had initiated the hold.

It was a senior partner at Hart & Associates.

My father’s firm.